As a reward for winning a company-wide sales competition, seven representatives from the Starzen Co. visited USMEF’s Denver headquarters this week for an overview of the U.S. red meat industry and insights into U.S. livestock production.

Starzen, a leading importer based in Tokyo, has a large client list that includes meat processors, supermarkets, butcher shops and restaurants.

“As part of our integrated efforts of working with key targeted accounts, USMEF conducted a sales competition among the various branches of Starzen,” explained Greg Hanes, USMEF assistant vice president for international marketing, who noted that USMEF held a seminar on the attributes of U.S. beef for Starzen staff prior to the sales competition. Hanes met with the team and answered questions about U.S. red meat and the role USMEF plays in developing international markets.

The seven winners came from six different areas of Japan.